Friday, December 30, 2016

Transcendent by Katelyn Detweiler - OPTIONAL

Detweiler, Katelyn Transcendent, 433 pages.  Viking (Penguin), 2016.  $18.  Language: R (100+ swears, 20 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (mention of terrorist attacks).

Its been about a month since the terrorists tore apart Disney World with their barrage of bombs – killing and injuring 100’s of people – most of them small children.  Iris’s life is pretty ordinary, but someone seems to think that she may be something else.  Iris never knew, but her birth was actually a miracle.  Really?  It may take a lot to convince her that the story really is true.  And so what?  What does this mean about Iris?  Is she Jesus?  Does she have a different mission?  Iris doesn’t feel special, but circumstances are forcing her into the spotlight, whether she wants to be there or not.

I haven’t read the prequel, Immaculate, but I really didn’t need to in order to understand this book.  The run up to Iris coming to terms with her miraculous birth reads pretty well.  After that, however, as Iris tries to figure out what she is and what to do about it, falls flat.  I think Detweiler doesn’t go far enough to make Iris special – she just comes off as being extraordinarily nice, which is not enough to carry her into our hearts.

HS – OPTIONAL.  Cindy, Library Teacher

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